Firth battling a cold, not laryngitis

The Brit has been attending numerous showbiz parties and prize-giving ceremonies in recent weeks as he promotes his new movie The King's Speech throughout the awards season.

Firth's croaky voice has prompted fears the gruelling schedule has led to a health crisis for the star, but the Oscar-tipped actor is adamant his condition is not serious - he's just been battling a cold.

He says, "Oh, my voice is all right. It's not an issue. It's not quite enough for a story, I'm afraid. I just had a cold."

And the Bridget Jones's Diary star insists that although he's exhausted by all of the awards shows and glamorous events, he is not going to complain because it's all part of the job.

He adds, "I don't think I can go around saying I'm just trying to make the best of the situation. This is not something to be wished away... No one would describe this process as restful. But, you know, there's plenty of time for rest. And you do spend most of your time in a daze; if it's not by jet lag it's by this rather unreal situation of being the centre of attention and under the lights among all these people and just talking about yourself all the time, which is not very natural.

"But there's nothing inflicted on you willfully by people who want to disturb your peace of mind. You are in it by choice. And you have to remember that."